


Champion, Another

by ArwynAtreides



Series: Champion Cycle [2]
Category: Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters (Anime & Manga)
Genre: Family, Family Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-24
Updated: 2018-10-24
Packaged: 2019-08-06 19:04:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 11,152
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16393412
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ArwynAtreides/pseuds/ArwynAtreides
Summary: Today's the magical day! Mokuba Kaiba turns 16 and he finally gets to call his father 'Dad'... So long as things go to plan... which of course means they won't.Republished with minor edits





	1. Birthday Magic

**Author's Note:**

> Original Author’s Note
> 
> This is a miniature (sort of) sequel to Champion DC. I HIGHLY recommend that you read it before reading this. You will probably be lost without reading that first lol

Today was the day. Today was the day he was sixteen!

Ok, in the grand scheme of things, Mokuba had to admit that it wasn’t really a big deal. Sixteen wasn’t an adult or anything but…

Mokuba sat up in bed and swung his legs down, over the side. He stretched and looked at the spot where his dad used to keep a chair. When he was little, Mokuba had been afraid to be alone and his dad had spent every night watching over him. He had made his dad stop several years ago. He had suddenly become a big brother. As a big brother, it was Mokuba’s job to watch over someone. It had been a big step forward and today was going to be an even bigger step forward.

He walked into the hall, to go to the bathroom, and saw his little brother waiting. He wanted this day to officially start. His morning routine would be the beginning and then it would officially _officially_ be his birthday! “How long has she been in there?”

Yuugi shrugged and yawned, he was never really awake until after breakfast. “She was in there when I got up.”

Rolling his eyes, Mokuba pounded on the door. “ANZU!! GET OUT!!”

“USE A DIFFERENT BATHROOM!” His sister snapped from the other side of the door.

“NO! YOU CAN’T JUST HIJACK A BATHROOM!”

“It’s not that big of a deal, Mokuba.” Yuugi pointed out, trying to keep the peace from being broken so early. The three loved each other but these fights were a regular occurrence. Almost a ritual. Though, truthfully, it was a ridiculous fight to have when you lived a mansion with at least five bathrooms.

“No, it’s the principle of the issue now.” Taking a deep breath, Mokuba got ready to bang on the door and yell again.

A calm voice came from the end of the hallway, “Good morning, Mokuba and Yuugi.”

Mokuba coughed and dropped his fist. Their father had walked up the stairs and while his voice was soft, they all knew they were being way too loud.

“Good morning, Dad.” Yuugi yawned.

“Morning, Big Brother.” Mokuba heard his brother call their father ‘Dad,’ and once again he felt a sting as he called him ‘Big Brother.’

“Hey…Dad…” came from the other side of the door. “I’m almost done.”

Mokuba rolled his eyes and Yuugi sleepily shook his head. This was the usual morning routine, Anzu went in the bathroom and spent forever in there. She came out a minute later, and as usually, she looked almost the same as when she went in. Mokuba decided that he would never understand girls. Yuugi motioned for Mokuba to go before him but Mokuba shook his head. Yuugi was next in line.

“So, you still haven’t told me what you want for your birthday.” Seto said after Anzu had given him a hug and gone off to her room to get changed out of her pajamas.

Mokuba smiled. “I’ll tell you tonight, remember?”

Seto sighed. “But I won’t have time to get you anything to open at the party.”

Mokuba shook his head. “Nuh-uh. I told you I wasn’t going to tell you before. I’m the birthday boy. That means, I get to make the rules and I say, you have to wait until tonight.”

His dad made a face and his shoulders drooped as he gave in. “Alright, but if there’s something else don’t hesitate to let me know.”

“Yeah yeah. It’s not going to happen.”

Yuugi shambled back out of the bathroom and gave their dad a hug before going off to get ready for school.

Mokuba went into the bathroom to shower and brush his teeth and …shave? He rubbed his chin and looked in the mirror to see if he could catch some sign of the elusive facial hair he’d been on the lookout for.

“Not today…” He sighed. Well he might not be able to shave yet but today was still special. It was going to be the last sixteenth birthday party in the family.

He turned on the shower and his mind wandered as he thought about his birthday, and his family. It was Mokuba’s sixteenth birthday but he was the last of the siblings turning sixteen. He smiled to himself as he stepped into the shower. If there was one thing he could say about his family it was that they were a big bunch of contradictions. His ‘Little Brother’ and ‘Little Sister’ were both older than him, so their sixteenth birthdays had already passed.

No one had known their proper ages when they had joined the family and it was assumed that they were Mokuba’s age or younger. By the time they figured out how old Yuugi and Anzu were, everyone was used to calling them the little brother and sister so it stuck. It didn’t seem to bother them though. Mokuba was happy to be their Big Brother, even if it was only a title.

That thought made him sigh, a twinge of sadness. “Big Brother…” That’s what he called their father.

Each of their stories were more or less the perfect fodder for a sad story. Mokuba had been found in a building set to be demolished. Yuugi and Anzu had been adopted by a man but then their new home had burned down and the man was killed in the fire. However, somehow they had all gotten a happy ending. All three of the siblings were adopted by the same man, Seto Kaiba.

He was one of the richest and most eligible bachelors to have taken the business world by storm, as the newspapers kept saying, but he wasn’t going out and spending his time and money having fun. Instead of living his life, he had taken in three scruffy orphans. Mokuba had been the first, another reason why he was the ‘big’ sibling.

Yuugi and Anzu’s previous history was difficult to piece together and all the adults the siblings had asked were less than forthcoming. It was unclear exactly why everything was shrouded in mystery but Mokuba had a hunch that the Black Market was involved and he didn’t probe too deeply after he came to that conclusion. It wasn’t his story to uncover. However, his own was quite a different story. Mokuba’s induction into the family had been documented, somewhat. He had been in a condemned orphanage that Kaiba Corp was coming to tear down and rebuild. Unfortunately, when someone had relocated the children at the orphanage they had overlooked one boy.

Mokuba felt his chest tighten as he thought about it. He had once made the mistake of looking up the news articles about the day he was found. It had not been the happy event he had hoped it would have been, like every child hoped their addition to a family had been. The most popular picture, the one that had won the photographer an award, was the one photo clear enough to make out a little foot hanging out of a dirty bundle. It was a mass of rags a millionaire was clutching to his chest which held a surprise. It was a dirty grey, chewed, ratty mess that the CEO was carrying out of the building, and hanging out of one corner was a tiny, dirty, shriveled foot. It was just a peek at the inhuman thing that must have been at the core of the bundle of rags. Mokuba had made the mistake of looking up the news articles on a computer in school. He paid for his mistake when he ended up spending the rest of the day in the nurse’s office, alternating between retching and crying.

It had not only been the shock of the photo but everything it sparked, which sent him reeling. There had been myriad speculation at the time of what could have been in that bundle. Most people hadn’t seen the foot but as soon as the photo was published the gossip exploded. Everyone wondered, ‘What was in the bundle?’ Had it been a child? Was it a boy? Was it a girl? Had it been _his_ child, some secret love child he had gone to rescue? But that’s when things got ugly. Speculation quickly went from benign curiosity to dark conspiracy theories. Some people thought that the child had been some unwanted love child that Seto Kaiba had recently found out about, after throwing away his mother. Others thought that it was some child the powerful man wanted to dominate. There were people who expected the child to be trotted out, used as a publicity stunt, brought out for special events but kept in a cage the rest of the time. Then there were people who thought that the child would never be seen again, quietly disposed of by some functionary of the rich man.

There was something about knowing that all of those people had thought those things about him that made him feel sick. Their dark and sick ideas of what his fate would be. It wasn’t just the horror stories that they had concocted which made him ill but the type of monster they thought his father was. The idea that they could picture his father as someone so sick and twisted. That’s what made him vomit on the floor of the school’s library.

Then it had struck him…that was the first photo of himself that existed, as far as he knew. This symbol of either the benevolence of a rich man or the proof of some evil deed past or future. Compounding that was the sad state of that little appendage, dangling, limp. Anyone could see that was not the foot of a healthy child, it barely even looked human. It looked like some forgotten corpse, dug out of a war zone by an aid worker…but that was his foot. That was _Mokuba’s_ foot. That thought had started him crying as he was being removed to the medical room. It was a photograph of some tragedy, a proof of the cruelty of mankind. In many people’s minds it also showed proof of the cruelty of the man spiriting the bundle away.

But he had lived. He had not died in that horrible place. He hadn’t been disposed of, he hadn’t been mistreated, and he hadn’t been used. It should have made him happy. But he was crying and vomiting in the nurse’s office because he had not realized how dark his beginning had been. It was a cold hard slap in the face…with the frying pan of truth.

It wasn’t “It’s a Boy!” balloons and streamers which had herald his addition to the Kaiba family. It had been questions about some dispatched mother, imaginings of murder plots, and whispers of even darker designs a rich man might have with some defenseless child. Mokuba had always known that the story Uncle Bakura had told him wasn’t true. It couldn’t have been true. But it had been a sweet fiction he had not realized he had clung to so much until suddenly it was torn away.

+…+

“Big Brother, when did I come to live here?” a young Mokuba had asked Seto, while he was drawing a family portrait. He had already drawn Big Brother, himself, and Uncle Bakura in front of a big house but he was still busy adding the happy sun and the flapping birds in the sky.

Seto had fidgeted and looked pained but Uncle Bakura had swooped in and said, “Hmm…I don’t know if he can tell you…”

“What?” Little Mokuba had asked, turning to see the worried look on his uncle’s face.

Uncle Bakura looked away as if counting something, “Well…I think it might have been long enough…”

“Long enough? Huh?’

“Ok- look, Seto, if the fairy shows up, you can tell her that _I_ told him, ok?”

Mokuba had looked back and forth between his father and uncle, confused and curious. “Fairy?”

“Come here, Mokuba.” Mokuba had hurried to scramble up into Uncle Bakura’s lap. “Alright, I’ll have to say it low, just in case the fairy is listening.” Mokuba had fidgeted, excited at what this secret was. Uncle Bakura looked around again, checking for fairies, before he revealed the secret.

“You see, a long time ago, there was a fairy King and Queen and they lived in a magical forest. One day the Fairy Queen was overjoyed to find that she was with child! She was going have a beautiful fairy baby! The Fairy King was very happy too! There was just one problem…”

“What!? What!?”

“Well, you see, one day while the Fairy Queen was picking flowers she accidentally picked a special flower belonging to a monster. That monster was so upset that it wouldn’t accept her apology. Instead it said ‘Fairy Queen! I curse you and your baby!’”

Mokuba gasped.

“The Fairy Queen and her ladies flew away home as fast as they could. The queen was ok but she could feel that something was wrong with her baby. The king and queen called all the best Fairy doctors and magicians to check the queen and her unborn baby.”

Mokuba chewed on his nails.

“They found that the baby had been changed. He was no longer going to be born a fairy. The King and Queen wept for days. Their baby would not be like them, he was going to be a human. How could they care for a human child? How would they know what to feed him? How could he live with them when he could not fly? How would he would manage if he could never be able to use fairy magic?

“The King and Queen worried and worried until it was suddenly the day that the baby would be born. When he was born, the queen held the baby in its little blanket and she cried and cried. What would happen to her sweet baby? But that was when one of the nurses had a suggestion. What if they could keep the baby from growing, until they could find a cure?

“The King and Queen rejoiced! That’s what they would do! They would use their magic to keep the baby from growing up and then when they found a cure they would take him and raise him! So they ordered that the baby be taken to a magic tree and placed inside. It was a perfect plan! Except…

“One day, a man was walking in the woods and he found himself on top of a hill. He looked down and saw a very interesting bunch of trees. He wanted to get a better look so he leaned forward. But he leaned a little too much and toppled over. He rolled _all the way down the hill_. With a bump he landed in a heaped underneath one of the interesting trees. He looked up at the tree and saw something _amazing_. The tree was not an ordinary tree. It was a _magical_ tree. For this tree had big beautiful blossoms, even though it was Autumn! The flowers were _gorgeous_! Then he saw the most beautiful thing he had _ever_ seen.

“There, in a hole in the tree, was a _baby_. It was the most _beautiful_ and _sweet_ looking baby the man had _ever_ seen. It had long black hair. A little button nose. And he guessed that it might have big sparkling brown eyes. It was all wrapped up in a soft little blanket and looked as though it were sound asleep. He wondered who had left the baby there. Not wanting to leave the baby all alone, he reached out and took the baby from the tree.”

“No…” Mokuba whispered, wrapped up in the story.

“Then there was a lot of rustling leaves and a whole troop of Fairies suddenly burst from the trees and bushes! They all yelled and wailed. The spell was broken!”

Mokuba gasped.

“The Queen Fairy came forward, big tears rolling down her cheeks. ‘Sir, what have you done?’

“The man said, ‘I’m sorry! I thought this baby was abandoned. I only wanted to bring him back to his parents.’

“‘ _We_ are his parents.’ The Fairy King said as he came forth. ‘And you have doomed our son.’”

Mokuba sucked on his thumb and tears began to grow in his eyes. Tears for the cursed little baby.

“The Fairy King and Queen told the man about how their son was now doomed to stay human. They could not risk freezing him again! The Queen cried and cried as she tried to think of what they could do to help their child have a happy life when he would always be an outsider in his own family.”

Mokuba started the cry and Uncle Bakura cooed, “Now now, this is not a sad story.

“The man looked at the little baby and he knew that he loved the little boy. ‘I will raise him.’ he told the Fairy parents. ‘I will take care of him and I will love him.’ The Fairies all wondered if he spoke the truth. They all wondered if he could really raise the child. But they looked deep into the man’s blue eyes and they saw that he was a good man. He could _surely_ give this little boy a better life amongst humans. ‘What is your name, human?’ The Fairy Queen asked.

“‘My name is Seto Kaiba.’”

Mokuba gasped and looked at his father sitting on the couch, who seemed to be listening, too.

“‘Thank you, Seto Kaiba. Please take our son. We know that you will love him as your own.’ said the Fairy King. ‘However, we have one thing to ask of you.’ said the Fairy Queen. ‘Please, do not tell him that his parents are Fairies. He will surely be _miserable_ , knowing that he is supposed to be a Fairy.’”

Mokuba sniffed, tears still rolling down his cheeks.

“The man turned to leave but before he started up the hill he turned to ask the King and Queen, ‘What is his name?’ They smiled and answered, ’Mokuba.’”

Mokuba gasped again and the tears multiplied.

“So now you know, Mokuba. You are a Fairy Prince. But, ssh. We have to keep it a secret. The Fairy Queen is probably still worried that knowing the truth will make you sad.” Uncle Bakura stroked Mokuba’s hair as he sobbed into his shirt. “But I wonder Mokuba… _are_ you sad?”

Mokuba shook his head even as he sobbed.

+…+

Even when Mokuba had been old enough to know that the fairy story couldn’t possibly be real, he still dreamed of some magical meeting between his father and his birth parents. He dreamed that his parents had given him to Seto because it was the best thing for him. It was in the sad moments at school when other children spoke about their parents. It was in those painful moments when he watched happy families on television. It was in those uncomfortable moments when he read about children in storybooks. He would think of some meeting, some exchange, between his father and his birth parents during which they had all agree that this was the best thing for him. He imagined them all looking at him, asleep, and they were all smiling.

It was in those cold and sick moments, after discovering the truth, that he realized that he had always thought that he had been loved. He had, for the longest time, held onto the sad, empty, fiction that he been wanted. He had assumed that he had been cherished.

But he hadn’t been. He had been garbage found in what amounted to rubble. He had been forgotten after all the real children had been accounted for. If Seto Kaiba had not gone into that room during his tour… If Kaiba Corp had not bought that orphanage… He would have been just another piece of garbage in a pile somewhere. No one would have noticed. No one would have missed him. No one would have cared about his death. It was a toppling house of precariously placed cards in his mind, being built up and knocked down, over and over again. The little things which had to line up _just_ right to lead to his life here and now.

Mokuba felt his face get hot and he stuck his head in the stream of the shower.

But they _had_ lined up! He had been taken out of that meaningless existence. He had been brought into a home. He had been loved. He was still loved! However, the fairytale was not quite complete.

To be complete, Mokuba would need a parent. He _knew_ that he had one but there was something painful about calling the man you knew was your father, ‘Big Brother.’ Something counterfeit and flimsy. In his dark moments, when Mokuba was brutally honest with himself, he knew that it was because he was still afraid that there would be a moment when Seto realized that he didn’t want to be his father anymore. Some catastrophic moment when the fairytale would be destroyed.

Seto had taken Mokuba in. He loved him. He cared for him. He even spent every waking moment with him when he was little. He had sacrificed so much to make sure that Mokuba was happy. Unfortunately, there was something which kept him from allowing Mokuba to call him ‘Dad.’ The abandoned child that would always be a part of Mokuba worried that this would mean that one day he would lose his father.

Mokuba could still remember the pain of watching Seto flinch and recoil when he had tried to call him ‘Daddy.’ It was as though he had thrown acid on him. The word hurt for some reason. It was _still_ a mystery to Mokuba but it only became worse when his little siblings began calling him ‘Dad.’

They had also called him ‘Big Brother’ initially, but then Anzu made up her mind that she was going to call him ‘Dad.’ There had been no discussion, no approval asked for. One day she just started calling him ‘Dad.’

Then Yuugi had done it.

Mokuba was the only one still calling him ‘Big Brother.’ He had taught his little sister and brother to call Seto ‘Big Brother.’ He had wanted to teach them how things were done in their new family. They had never seen Seto’s reaction to ‘Dad’ or ‘Daddy.’ He didn’t want them to see it. Mokuba didn’t want them to carry that pain like he had to.

Anzu had turned sixteen and she said “Bye, Dad” as she ran out on the way to school. Yuugi was already on his way to the car. Mokuba had been getting his book bag and Seto was sitting at the kitchen table. Mokuba braced for the fallout but there had been none.

She had said it as she kissed his forehead and made for the door. There had been no flinch. He hadn’t even looked shocked. He was just…surprised.

Mokuba had frozen on the spot. He had not been prepared for that.

As he sat in class later, there was a sick feeling which settled into his stomach. What had it been about Anzu which had allowed their father to more easily accept her ‘Dad?’ Was there something about her that made it more acceptable? Was the word poison from anyone else’s lips?

About a year later after Yuugi’s birthday party had wound down and the staff was cleaning up, Yuugi said “Good night, Dad.” as he went up to his room for bed.

Again, Mokuba was stunned. _Again_ , he waited to see some sign of shock or revulsion on their father’s face.

_Again_ , he saw surprise. **_Again_** , _this just became an acceptable thing._

That night he had lain awake, staring at the ceiling. He examined, in his mind, the moments when his siblings had said the word. He searched every still frame in his memory for some clue. Some explanation.

Was it him? Was there something about the word coming from Mokuba which made it deadly? What was it? What magic had his little sister and brother harnessed? Was there any magic left for him? 

He stayed up into the wee hours, agonizing. If they could do it, why couldn’t he? What had been special? Was there something special he could use to _his_ advantage? Maybe there was hope for him. He could find a magical moment and then we would also call him ‘Dad!’

This thought made him smile and his eyes began to close, sleep beckoned and he was finally ready to submit. Then, as he had begun to succumb to his fatigue a disturbing thought dragged him further from sleep: What if he had he lost his chance?

 

So, now, it had been two years of hearing his sister say ‘Dad’ and a year of his brother saying it.

 

Mokuba toweled off and looked at himself in the mirror. He tried to bolster himself with a reassuring smile. This was _his_ sixteenth birthday. He was going to continue the tradition. Tonight he was going to get permission to called their father ‘Dad.’

He couldn’t just do it like his siblings. That was already decided. That was asking too much. That look their father had given him still stuck with him. But today was special! _Today held its own magic._

Their dad had always told them that on their birthdays he’d do everything he could to make their wishes come true. Plus there seemed to be some kind of unspoken tradition which had sprung up on their sixteenth birthdays. Anzu had called him “Dad” the morning of her birthday. Yuugi had said it after the party. Mokuba wasn’t sure if there was something special about sixteen and he wasn’t sure if their father had just gone along with it because it already seemed to just be a _thing_. But Mokuba felt that _this_ was the perfect time. As far as he was concerned he could use all of the help, magic, tradition, _whatever_!

Mokuba took a deep breath after he brushed his teeth and smiled at his reflection again. Today, _for sure_.

He stepped out into the hall as his little brother was walking past to go downstairs. “Don’t forget, Uncle Bakura’s coming over tonight.”

Yuugi, still sleepy, looked confused. Mokuba poked Yuugi’s ridiculous hairstyle, “Oh, yeah. Thanks.” he yawned and shuffled towards the stairs.

Mokuba was not looking forward to having his uncle escorted out of his party in hysterics if Yuugi forgot to fix his hair.

That was another odd thing about his family. 

Mokuba went into his room and got ready to leave.

The three siblings didn’t have a mother, instead they had their father and two uncles. Seto Kaiba was a millionaire and their Uncle Max, as in Maximillion Pegasus was a billionaire…with a ‘B.’ He had an odd sense of humor and he always came with gifts. As far as Mokuba could remember he had only seen him once or twice before Yuugi and Anzu joined their family. From what he could tell, Uncle Max and his father had been friends for a very long time. They seemed to have been like brothers before a falling out of some kind. But then something happened on the night of the big fire and they made up. Now he was over for dinner at least once a week. He’d bring gifts and Uncle Bakura.

Uncle Bakura’s relationship with Seto was an even bigger mystery. To be honest, Bakura _himself_ was a mystery. Mokuba had watched him while he was growing up and it seemed like Uncle Bakura was a slightly unstable person. He and Mokuba’s father were really close, and sometimes it seemed like he was Seto’s father. But then there were other times when Uncle Bakura seemed to turn into an emotional child. He wasn’t violent, just jumpy and weepy. This state had come on more and more as Yuugi had grown. And there seemed to be something about the hairstyle that Yuugi had chosen that set Uncle Bakura off the most.

Mokuba ran a hand through his unruly black hair and grabbed his backpack from his desk. He didn’t understand what his little brother’s attachment to that hairstyle was. It was three colors, crazy points, and required WAY too much product to style! The first time Uncle Bakura had seen it, he was gripped by some kind of panic attack. It was so bad that Uncle Max had to hurry over and come pick him up. Shortly after that, Uncle Bakura had moved out of their house and moved in with Uncle Max. The attacks happened once or twice after that, but Mokuba had a talk with Yuugi and from then on they made sure that he had his hair pulled back in a ponytail when their uncle was coming over.

None of the men seemed to be willing to explain what had caused the fits. None of them even seemed to know how to start to tell Yuugi not to wear his hair like that. But Mokuba had noticed the trend and decided to fix it. Yuugi was sweet but a lot of the time he was a bit of a ditz and that’s when he needed his big brother.

 

That’s what made Mokuba so happy to be a big brother, he was helpful. Their dad always worked so hard to make sure that they could have everything they wanted and needed but he always got awkward when it came to discipline. That’s where Big Brother Mokuba came in. Mokuba saw it as his job to introduce his siblings to their new family and make sure that everyone got along well. His goal was to always make sure that things weren’t difficult for their dad. It was hard for Mokuba to admit it but in the beginning it was because he didn’t want the other children to go away but then when they were permanent he wanted to have a job. Being a big brother gave him a purpose.

Everyone thought that growing up in a big house with a staff and money makes things simple. However, there is something difficult about having everything handed to you the moment you reach for it. It made Mokuba feel helpless. He wanted to do something that was helpful. He wanted an important job. Helping his father with his siblings was that job.

Not that his sister or brother were particularly troublesome. His brother had the tendency to be a bit ditzy and clumsy but he was well behaved and really smart. His sister was really sweet and genuinely saw strangers as ‘friends you haven’t met.’ However, she also could be really pushy and she almost never shut up. Mokuba loved them both, ditzy, pushy, clumsy, talkative, all of it.

He looked at his siblings sitting across from him at the breakfast table and he smiled. He was the one running after them helping them to get dressed and introducing them to his friends in kindergarten when they had first joined the family but they were both nearly adults. They still referred to him as ‘Big Brother.’ It was all weird and wonderful. Mokuba sighed, he had a _really_ funny family.

“What are you staring at, Porcupine?” Anzu asked around a slice of toast in her mouth.

Mokuba rolled his eyes, well they called him Big Brother _and_ ‘Porcupine.’


	2. Birthday Punches

“Today’s the day! I’m going to do it!”

“I wish you would.”

“Mhm, I agree. Just go over and ask her.”

Yuugi was fidgeting and stalling. He stared at a girl with long blonde hair who was sitting with her friends. He was tapping his fingers on Mokuba’s desk and his leg was bouncing up and down as he theoretically waited for the perfect moment to go over and talk to her. The lunch break would be ending soon and both Mokuba and Anzu knew he was hoping that something would pop up to keep him from going over to talk to his crush.

“Mai doesn’t bite.” Anzu said, looking up from her cellphone.

“ _I know!_ ” Yuugi blushed furiously. Mokuba and Anzu looked at each other and laughed. “Stop!” He snapped, coloring more.

Yuugi had a huge crush on Mai, a girl in their grade. Even though Anzu and Yuugi were older than Mokuba everyone had decided that it would be easier to keep the three together in school. It had also been found that school had apparently not been a part of their lives before joining the Kaiba family. It was another funny quirk of Mokuba’s family. It may have also been why Yuugi felt so self conscious about asking Mai out. He was technically older than her but he was in her grade and, if that wasn’t bad enough, he was _at least_ a full head shorter than her. Anzu and Mokuba had tried to tell him not to worry about that stuff. Mokuba even told him that his present, from Yuugi, this year, should be asking Mai to come to his birthday party.

“I- uhm- I guess I can ask after class…” Yuugi mumbled.

Anzu stood up so fast her chair nearly toppled over. She grabbed Yuugi’s hand and dragged him towards Mai and her friends. It seemed like his luck had finally run out and Anzu was taking things into her own hands.

Mokuba couldn’t help laughing when he saw the color drain from his brother’s face. Shrugging, Mokuba continued picking at his lunch, not giving into his brother’s pleading expression when he looked back.

That was one of the great things about Anzu, she was never afraid of going right up to people. Unfortunately, that also had its drawbacks, like when she would get into disagreements or when a moment called for quiet. Mokuba smiled and remembered the most famous moment of Anzu’s headstrong disregard. It was just another moment in his family’s life when he was young.

Just another funny memory but it had all ended up as a famous video clip. Little Anzu running across the stage at a presentation, in a little pink dress, with a big pink flower headband on her head. It was something completely unexpected at what had been a very professional presentation. She had dashed across the stage and tugged on the pant leg of the man giving a speech. The serious businessman picked up the little girl and continued speaking, as if nothing had happened. It was almost as if he knew the child. Then there was a squeak and a little boy in a neat little dark blue suit had gone running after her. He was quickly followed by a second little boy, in his own little black suit. The second boy froze halfway between where they had been sitting, with some other company people, and the podium. He looked at the audience and his eyes got huge. They darted between the chair, he had just jumped out of, and Seto Kaiba. Kaiba who had the girl in his arms and was holding hands with the other boy just smiled. The boy bolted over and disappeared behind the man and the podium, before peeking his head out of the other side.

 

It was the first company gathering that the children had been allowed to attend. Mokuba had been set on making sure that his siblings were well behaved. He had talked to them the night before. He had gone over the rules during the drive. He made sure that they understood the rules. Rules that he didn’t really understand because this was his first company function. (Well, the first he was conscious of.) They had all done very well. Not yawning. Not making noise. But then Seto had to give a speech. It was a lot longer than they had expected.

Mokuba had been set on showing that he could be grown up and patient, that was his job as Big Brother. Unfortunately, Anzu had gotten restless and she wasn’t interested in waiting for their father’s speech to be done. Mokuba had tried to grab her but she had gotten away. Then things got worse when Yuugi, who stuck to Anzu like glue, ran after her. Mokuba was too caught up in catching them and had run after them both, intent on dragging them back. Unfortunately, he realized too late that they were already gone and he was now standing out in the open, on stage. He had frozen. Everything was suddenly silent and everyone was stunned.

Mokuba was caught halfway. Suddenly he had become aware of how he had missed an opportunity to help and he felt like he had failed. Looking out and seeing all of those people looking at his father had been surprising. Then all of those eyes had turned to look at Mokuba. It was terrifying. The boy was suddenly transported back to the frightened child he had been, clinging to his father day and night. He felt very small and desperately needed his father. He looked at Seto and found him smiling. Mokuba gulped and scampered across the rest of the distance. He spent the rest of the speech holding hands with Yuugi behind their father. They peeked around the side of Seto’s legs and the podium from time to time until the speech was finished. Then they all left, Anzu waved at the crowd as she was carried back to their seats . It was almost a normal moment for a normal family. Just some children not understanding how to behave in a serious situation. Three siblings who loved their father. A funny little anecdote.

This wasn’t just a regular family, though. This was not a private function. This was a big important televised event, featuring one of the most famous businessmen of the year. Naturally, the news making a big deal of it. The clip found its way to talk shows. Still photos appeared in newspapers and magazines. The world lost its collective mind. Who were those children? Were they related to Seto Kaiba? Did this mean that underneath that cool hard exterior he had some softer side? Was there a heart in there? What did those children see in him? The speculation ran rampant. The world, which had little to no idea what Kaiba was like in private, went wild for this glimpse.

Outside their home, in the world at large, in the media, the clip was played repeatedly and the family was discussed at length. Inside their home, though, the children had no clue. Mokuba and his siblings had no idea about the media at that time. All of that insanity was happening in a world completely apart from the world that Seto had created for his children.

Now that he was older, Mokuba really appreciated all of the things he hadn’t known about while he was growing up. He had no idea that the clip of he and his siblings on stage was played on loop on the news. He had no idea that there had been talkshows calling to book the family for interviews. No one told him about the companies offering endorsement deals. As far as Mokuba and his siblings had known, for many years, they were just a family, a bit different, but nothing special. This was just a silly little memory from their childhood. They had no idea that they were famous. In fact, they hadn’t even really known that they were rich for most of their childhood. Sure they lived in a big house and they had a lot of things but no one discussed money in front of them. Things just were the way they were.

They didn’t grow up in a spotlight. They didn’t grow up counting their money. As far as they had known, even though they had been orphans, they had found themselves in an average family. Of course, this is a view of themselves and the world that couldn’t be sustained. As they grew older. As they attended school. As they watched television. Discovered the internet. A different view of their world, their lives, their family, was revealed to them. Several different views. None of those views were the one they had grown up with. No one saw them as average.

 

 

“You rich guys just think you can do whatever you want!”

“Hey!”

“What is this? Some kind of bet!?”

Mokuba snapped out of his thoughts and looked around for the source of the yelling. It was a tall boy. He was standing between Yuugi and Mai. He jabbed his finger in Yuugi’s chest and yelled again, “C’mon! What is it!? Invite her for some fake party and then what!? You rich kids are all the same!”

“Hey! Stop that!” Anzu was trying to pull Yuugi back. Yuugi was mumbling ineffectually, his brain probably fried by the sudden confrontation.

Mokuba stood up and walked over, “Excuse me. Could you stop yelling at my little brother.”

“Buzz off!” The boy was new and ready for fight. Yuugi was still mumbling and Mokuba tried to angle himself between the boy and his brother.

“I think there’s been some kind of misunderstanding.” Mokuba reached out to take the boy’s hand away from Yuugi but even as he did it, he knew that he had made a mistake the instant his hand made contact.

The boy turned and looked at him, angrily. Their eyes locked and his fist came up. Mokuba tried to turn his face but he still felt the fist slam into his jaw. All of the thoughts he had had of ending the confrontation peacefully, for the sake of his siblings, flew out of his head. He was going make sure this boy couldn’t lay a finger on his little brother or sister. He was going to end this fight. It wasn’t the best thing for a big brother to do but Mokuba pulled back and let his fist fly. It connected and chaos erupted.

Desks were pushed out of the way. Chairs toppled over. Wild punches flew. Some students fell over themselves to get out of the way. Some students tried jumping in to pull the two boys apart. Someone ran to get the guidance counselor.


	3. Birthday Troubles

“So, Joey, tell me what happened?” The two boys sat across from the guidance counselor in his office. 

This was decidedly NOT how Mokuba wanted to spend his birthday. Plus there would be talking to his father about this later. Seto wasn’t the type to yell and that was so much worse. He’d be understanding and disappointed. He’d quietly listen and then he’d point out what Mokuba should have done. He wouldn’t be mad. Seto didn’t get mad often and he didn’t take punishing his children well. He genuinely looked as though the punishment hurt him more than the child. Mokuba didn’t want to hurt his father.

He licked the corner of his mouth and winced. One idiotic outburst and his whole birthday was ruined.

“That little rich bitch-” the blond boy started.

“HEY!” Mokuba bristled and for a split second he thought of punching the other boy again.

“Alright!” Mr. Jordan held up his hands to try to stop any outburst. “Joey, I know you’re new to the school but we don’t use that kind of language here.”

“Sorry.” Joey mumbled.

“It’s fine, but just tell me about how the incident started.”

“Sorry, Mr. Jordan-”

“You can just call me, Shane.” Shane smiled warmly from behind his desk. He was a good counselor but like everyone in his profession he was always trying to be ‘cool with all the kids.’

Joey was surprised but he continued. “There was a boy messing with Mai so I went over to talk to him and this ass- er guy came over and we got in a fight.”

Mokuba rolled his eyes and crossed his arms on his chest. The temptation to punch him again was getting stronger. Yuugi hadn’t been messing with Mai. It was a lie!

“Ok, now, Mokuba, what was your perspective?”

“I don’t know what happened. I just saw him yelling at Yuugi and went over to get him to stop picking on my little brother.”

“I wasn’t picking on him! I just-”

“Bull-”

Shane cleared his throat. “So it seems, as usual, we have two sides of a moment and they don’t quite match up. But that’s ok! That’s called perspective!” He clapped his hands to punctuate his statement. Mokuba forced himself not to roll his eyes. He had heard this spiel before, it was as much a part of the counselor’s signature as his cowboy hat. “So, Joey, you saw Mai being picked on and you acted. Mokuba, you saw your little brother being picked on and you acted. It looks like you two were both just trying to help someone and things got messy.” Shane looked at them in turn and smiled at them both. “Mokuba, do you know what your brother was talking to Mai about?"

“Yeah. He was inviting her to a party tonight.”

“Oh, nice! Ok, Joey, was the invitation a problem?”

“Pff! If it was a _real_ invitation! I mean, _his kind_ doesn’t just invite Voucher Kids to a party!” Joey looked at Mokuba from the corner of his eye, daring him to respond.

“‘His kind?’” Shane asked, feigning ignorance. Every year a certain number of students from low income families were given the opportunity to attend the Domino City Preparatory Academy with the help of tuition vouchers. There were some people who thought ‘poor students’ shouldn’t be allowed to attend the expensive school. This led to the “Voucher Kids,” as those students were called, being picked on by those students from wealthy families. Bullying and pranks were unfortunately not unheard of.

“Yeah, spoiled rich kids!” Joey sneered at Mokuba’s shocked face.“You probably just want to bring her over so you can rub it in her face, with your expensive toys, big house, and perfect family!”

“WHAT!? That doesn’t even make any sense!” Mokuba blurted out.The pranks and bullying were common enough but they were not something the Kaiba siblings would ever consider doing.

“Now, now-” the counselor interjected.

“No! I’m sick of being surrounded by all these rich assholes! They get everything, so they think they can take anything!”

Mokuba bit his tongue and clenched his fist.

“Joey-” Shane tried to interject again.

“NUH UH! No! He and his brother probably never had to worry about anything! Meanwhile-”

“HEY! DIPSHIT!” Mokuba finally snapped. “Do your research! Me, my brother, and my sister! We don’t look at _ALL_ like each other! We’re all adopted, you moron! Do you know what that means!? It means that we _all_ had to worry about stuff! Ya know, like NOT HAVING A FAMILY OR A HOME!”

“Moku-” The counselor tried once more to diffuse the situation.

“And you know what?! My father picked me up out of the rubble of a condemned building! How’s THAT for a silver spoon!? And my little brother and sister? They got adopted, sure, but then their house burned down and the guy who adopted them died in the fire! We all got _SUPER_ LUCKY!”

Joey sat, stunned.

“What? Let me guess, your parents got divorced and now you think you have the worst life ever? Piss off! Your parents not getting along does not trump _OR-PHANS_!”

Joey started to open his mouth.

“And for your information, _yes._ We _do_ have a rich father. One year my sister got a pony just cause she asked for it.”

Both Joey and Shane’s mouths opened and closed uselessly as their brains froze.

“But even if she hadn’t gotten one we _still_ would have felt really lucky because we weren’t _deador alone!_ ”

Not his finest moment but Mokuba stormed out of the office. This was shaping up to be: The. Worst. Birthday. _Ever_. Plus he had just made it ten times worse in there.

Mokuba punched a wall and instantly regretted it.

“Should have just stayed in bed today.” he grumbled as he stumbled down the hall to the medical room.

+…+

The rest of the day, he alternated between grumbling and sulking. His dad was not going to be happy when they got home. When the school called home and they told him what Mokuba had said… Mokuba felt sick.

A big knot had settled into the pit of his stomach and it pulsed all the way until dismissal. What did this all mean for his birthday magic? What did this all mean for the present he had planned for himself? Would Seto want to be called ‘Dad’ by someone who would have fits of violence? Would he be ashamed to be associated with someone who could hurt another person? This was a man who was so gentle. So careful. So devoted to the conservation of life. What would happen when he found out that his son had… that the boy he had raised had… when this person who he had found and brought into his home… this person who wasn’t related to him…

Mokuba’s thought spiraled and swirled. This was supposed to be the day that he found a way to be closer to his father. This was supposed to be that magic day. But now he had done the unthinkable! His father didn’t even kill insects! How would Mokuba explain _punching_ a boy, to him? Would he say that he had done it to protect his little brother? Would he say that he saw Yuugi in trouble and he acted? How would Seto even begin to understand that sudden acceptance of violence as a tool to protect someone?

The day passed in a hazy blurring mess. The last bell rang and Mokuba’s addled brain couldn’t decide if he wanted to just drop dead, burst into flames, or just disappear.

He half-walked half-stumbled out of the main entrance, still wrapped up in his thoughts. The large knot still pulling him further into himself. He had ruined everything. How could he ask Seto to accept him as a son now? A cold sweat broke out on his forehead. This was his sixteenth birthday. Would the magic be unreachable by his seventeenth? Would it be gone after midnight!? How large- how small was his window of opportunity?

Someone grabbed his arm and started dragging him forward. In a daze, he looked around and saw Anzu smiling at him. “Cheer up, Big Brother. You were protecting us. You did the right thing-” she laughed. “although who knew you had such a mean left hook!”

Someone laughed on his other side and Mokuba saw Yuugi. “After I saw you get punched in the face, asking Mai to come over didn’t seem all that painful!”

Mokuba made an effort to smile. He winced as the cut on his lip reopened.

“C’mon, Uncle Max is here to take us home.” Anzu giggled. “He brought a limo so good luck convincing that boy we’re not rich snobs!”

Mokuba groaned and allowed himself to be dragged to the vehicle. He hoped that what he had said in the office hadn’t gotten out. The siblings weren’t embarrassed about their origins but he didn’t have the right say what he had.

A smiling chauffeur held the door open and tried not to laugh openly as Yuugi ran and jumped into the vehicle, followed by Anzu. His smiled faltered for a moment when he saw the state of Mokuba’s face. Mokuba tried to smile at him. Judging by the man’s face, Mokuba’s face was worse than he had guessed, not having thought to go to look at himself since the fight. Somehow, the state of his face seemed to be the least of his issues.

 

“Hey guys!” Uncle Max said with his usual lighthearted tone. “How-” He looked at Mokuba and his eyes widened.

“Hey!” Anzu had already taken a bottle of water from the mini fridge and Yuugi had grabbed some tissues. Mokuba quickly cleaned off his face while Anzu held up a compact mirror. Yuugi talked to Uncle Max about something and kept his attention. Mokuba focused on the task of cleaning off the blood and taking note of the bruises that had blossomed.

“There.” Mokuba smiled, then looked at Yuugi’s hair. “While we have the water and stuff out…”

Yuugi furrowed his brow. Anzu cleared her throat and pulled out her hairbrush. “Oh!” He said and moved to sit on the floor in front of her.

Mokuba talked to Uncle Max for the rest of the trip home as Yuugi and Anzu worked to quickly break down the insane hairstyle into a decent ponytail.

“So, where is Uncle Bakura?”

“Oh, uh…” Uncle Max made an effort and tore his eyes away from Yuugi and Anzu, who were working with military precision. “Ah, he’s waiting at the house. He wanted to help set up for the party, you know how he is with your birthdays.”

Mokuba chuckled, “Any bet on how far in it’ll be before he starts crying?”

Uncle Max laughed, “You’ve got a bet! I say he doesn’t make it past blowing out the candles on the cake!”

“Ha! I bet he starts as soon as he sees me.”

“You don’t give your uncle enough credit, he can make it this year, I believe in him!” Uncle Max clenched his fist in determination but Mokuba knew that sixteen was a magic year for Uncle Bakura.

He had cried at Anzu’s sixteenth birthday. He had to be removed from Yuugi’s party for several hours. Now it was time for Mokuba’s. While everyone treated all the siblings equally, there was always something extra emotional when it came to Mokuba’s milestones. Mokuba would be shocked if Bakura wasn’t _already_ crying.

+…+

“Oh my sweet little boy! Come here! Oh you’ve-” Whatever Uncle Bakura was going to say was completely swallowed up by sobs. He flung himself at Mokuba and Yuugi whipped a handkerchief from his pocket. Mokuba put it over his shoulder before hugging his uncle, angling himself that his tears fell on the shielded shoulder.

Mokuba made a face at his other uncle. “So…about that bet.”


	4. Birthday Magic

The party was, as it was for the other two sixteenth birthday parties, _huge_. Even though, Mokuba had asked for something small his father and uncles had ignored him, as he knew they would.

It was a big party! Complete with a sundae bar, live band, and famous guests. Granted, the famous guests were all friends of the family, people that Mokuba had met several times before. But they each brought their own big presents and flashy entrances. The end result was a huge production more in line with a product launch than a teenager’s birthday party. As crazy as it was, Mokuba loved every last second of it.

The birthday boy was toasted. He was dragged on stage. He was photographed. He was presented with expensive, rare, and ridiculous gifts. Even without all of that, Mokuba would have still been really happy. It was the time together with his family that he cherished. Though, getting a kiss from one of his favourite idols was a great perk of being a Kaiba!

The party was a great success! Even the thing that he had been dreading was handled easily. Anzu had called their father at work after the fight, and explained the situation. Mr. Jordan had spoken to him as well. When Seto had taken him aside, Mokuba found that he was not appalled. He wasn’t disgusted with him. He told Mokuba that he understood why he had punched that other boy. This stunned Mokuba. There was something about the way that Seto said that he understood. He said it with a certain conviction. How could Seto understand that kind of violence? Mokuba didn’t understand it but that was a thought for another day.

He was so relieved that he father was not disgusted or disappointed in him that he almost started crying. His father wasn’t upset with him. He made him promise not to raise his hands in anger, if he could help it, but that was it.

Mokuba’s faith in birthday magic was restored. Maybe he could still get his wish!

+…+

So many different people had come to the party, Mokuba even saw Mai walking around. Yuugi really _had_ gotten up the courage to invite her! Plus she had still chosen to come…even after the scuffle in the classroom. This was one of the best presents he had gotten. Smiling, he walked over to show her where Yuugi was. She moved and he saw Joey behind her. He stopped short but Mai grabbed the blond boy by his ear and dragged him forward. “Apologize!” she snapped.

Mokuba stood stunned and Joey yelped out an apology. “Ouch! Sorry!”

“Ah, so nice of you _both_ to uh come…” Mokuba stammered and looked between Mai and Joey.

“Thank you for having us.” Mai smiled, then waved at Yuugi, and hurried over to say hello to him.

Mokuba watched her leave and then turned back, expecting to see Joey scowling at him. However, he found that Joey looked as uncomfortable as he felt himself. “Would you like something to drink?”

“Uh…sure.”

Mokuba smiled and lead the way to the table with the drinks. “I’m sorry about yelling earlier, and the fight. That was a really bad example I set for my brother and sister.”

“I, uh,” Joey cleared his throat. “I guess I, uh, would have done the same thing in your shoes… I have a little sister and I wouldn’t want some idiot yelling at her.”

Mokuba smiled over his shoulder. “And I know we probably look like rich jerks. Yuugi probably also came off like a creeper. He’s just super shy so he ends up staring at people before saying ‘hello’ properly.”

“No. No. It was totally my fault.”

Mokuba stopped in front of the drinks table and gestured to the server standing behind it. Joey looked at the options.

Mokuba saw someone blindly reach for their drink but grab a cup with a top and black straw. He picked up the cup and nudged the neighboring cup into their hand. “Sorry, one moment.” Mokuba excused himself from Joey and brought the cup to his dad who was looking at cups on the other end of the table.

“Oh! Thanks!” Seto smiled and took the cup.

“No problem.” Mokuba said before he went back to Joey, who was now enjoying a funny looking bubbling fizzing drink. He was sipping it absently and looking around at the party. “I promise, that it’s not always like this.” Mokuba smiled. “The parties are usually a bit smaller but sixteen is a big deal in our family. Last year, Yuugi’s included fire eaters and a petting zoo- Weird, I know. And Anzu’s, two years ago, man it was elf themed or something! She came in riding a ‘unicorn.’” Mokuba made exaggerated air quotation marks.

Joey laughed, “Man, then what are _their_ sixteenth birthday parties going to be like?”

“Ha…yeah those _were_ their sixteenth birthday parties.” Mokuba stopped laughing and cleared his throat. “Yeah, just one more messed up thing about my family. My ‘little brother’ is actually a year older than me and my ‘little sister’ is two years older.” Mokuba shrugged. “They’re growth was stunted from malnutrition and no one had kept records for them so we didn’t find out until after everyone thought they were about my age. They were already calling me ‘Big Brother’ and I was calling them my little brother and sister.” He tried to spit it all out as nonchalantly as possible.

Joey was staring at Mokuba, and Mokuba knew it but he didn’t want to see the pitying expression that everyone got when they found out the less than happy origins of any of the siblings. Joey cleared his throat. “My parents are having the world’s worst divorce and last year my sister and I were separated. She lives in a different city, now.” Mokuba looked at Joey and it was his turn to look away. “I’ve been a jerk ever since. I’m sorry.”

Mokuba smiled and clapped his hand on the other boy’s shoulder. “Don’t worry about it. It’s like Mr. Jordan er- _Shane,_ ” they both chuckled. “said, we both saw someone being picked on and we jumped in. Next time, though, remember that my little brother and sister are doofuses. I’ll probably be able to clear things up if you ask me what they are up to.”

The two laughed and spent the rest of the party chatting on and off. Yuugi came to apologize for being awkward earlier and Anzu asked for Joey’s screen name so they could chat.

+…+

The party lasted until about eleven and then it was officially wound down. The entertainers left, guests trickled out, and the servers and cleaners went to work breaking things down. Yuugi and Anzu went inside with their uncles. Mokuba and his father went into the garden for their nightly ritual.

 

Mokuba laid back on the lounge chair and looked up at the starry sky. He took a deep breath and smiled. Ever since he could remember, he and his father would come out into the garden at night. When he was young, his father would hold him in his arms until he fell asleep. Even as Mokuba grew up he still loved this ritual. Through the years it had been a fixed constant. When his father was out of town on business he would call and Mokuba would go out into the garden and they’d talk. Mokuba loved his siblings, but this was the one thing that he and his father shared without them. This was the last thing that was exclusive to them… Well one of two things but soon…

“How did you like your party? I know you asked for something small but-”

“It was perfect, Big Brother.” Mokuba saw Seto smile, from the corner of his eye. “There is just one thing.”

“Hmm? Oh, yes, your gift.” Seto sat up on his lounge chair and smiled. “What would you like Mokuba?”

Mokuba took a steadying breath and looked up at the sky. “Two things.”

“Okay…”

“I don’t want to call you ‘Big Brother’ anymore… I want to call you ‘Dad.’” Mokuba bit his tongue to keep himself from rambling. He wanted to tell Seto that he knew how awkward it would be but he knew in his heart that Seto was his father and not just like a brother to him. He also suddenly realized that he had not prepared a response for if he wasn’t allowed to call Seto ‘Dad.’ His palms started to sweat and his mouth was suddenly dry.

“Okay, and what was the second thing?”

Mokuba opened his mouth to say something but his mind went blank. He had accepted it! He had accepted the title of ‘Dad.’ It had been so cool and natural! There was no talk. There was no argument. Mokuba scolded himself for getting so worked up. His father was not emotional. Of course he’d play it cool!

He cleared his throat and tried to make himself as cool as he could. He kept his eyes on the sky and tried to keep his voice steady. “Well, the second thing is really something we all- Yuugi, Anzu, and I wish. We want you and Uncle Max and Uncle Bakura to stop trying to hide being vampires from us.”

His dad made a choking sound and Mokuba turned his head and smiled. “How? When? I mean, what!?” Seto Kaiba was spluttering and not cool at all. There was something completely satisfying about seeing his dad being kind of goofy. There was something magical about seeing him unprepared.

Mokuba couldn’t help but laugh. “We’re _teenagers_ , not stupid, Dad.”

‘Dad.’

That word felt like sweets and gold on Mokuba’s tongue. It fit. It was perfect.

 

This was the best birthday ever.

This was the best _day_ ever.


	5. Epilogue: Another Birthday, Another Champion

“Sixteen. You know, this age is special-”

“I know.”

“Oh…yes…you would…”

“Don’t worry about it, Bakura.” Pegasus reclined on the sofa and listened to the children on the floor above. Yuugi was probably reading, it was mostly quiet, but for the soft turning of a page. Anzu was probably in a chatroom, her keyboard didn’t stop clicking as her fingers flew. He smiled and sighed. Those were not the filth covered children they had pulled out of the burning mansion. They were no longer scared. They were no longer small. Though, maybe it was still true in Yuugi’s case but his personality had outgrown his size. Pegasus chuckled.

He thought about how fast the children had altered Yuugi’s hair on the car ride. They had moved with a practiced ease. ‘It must have been to make sure that Bakura wouldn’t be uncomfortable.’ He thought. They certainly couldn’t fathom the type of monster that hairstyle reminded the three men of. However, they knew that it meant something unpleasant and they didn’t want to make things difficult or awkward. Bakura bursting into tears was always awkward.

Pegasus glanced over at Bakura who was calm but contemplative. Pegasus knew that he’d be near to tears for the next few days. Not least of all because this was the last sixteenth birthday in this family. Thinking of Bakura crying reminded him of how fast the children had dealt with Bakura’s crying. They always seemed to have a handkerchief on hand when their Uncle Bakura was visiting.

It wasn’t just any handkerchief, it was always some dark colored one.

Pegasus smiled, wider.

Then there was how quickly they worked to clean the blood from Mokuba’s face.

Pegasus had even seen Mokuba make sure that someone didn’t accidentally drink from Seto’s cup.

There was quick thinking and purposefulness to all of these actions. These were not just helpful coincidences. This hinted at something larger…

“You know, Bakura, I think the children may have figured out our secret.”

Bakura looked up from his cup of tea and smiled, “They were bound to figure it out. They’re smart.”

Pegasus chuckled. All three of those children. In fact, even he and Seto. All five of them had been marked as human garbage, thrown out, and neglected. Somehow, they had all managed to form a family, and they had all blossomed. Even Bakura was no longer a beaten down slave on a chain. Who would have guessed that they could have defied the dreary expectations which would have placed them in early and unmarked graves?

“I think they’ve turned out to be good children.” Pegasus sighed. An immense weight rose from his shoulders and was replaced with a quiet satisfaction.

“Of course they have, their Seto’s children.” Bakura and Pegasus looked at each other and smiled.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Original Author’s Notes
> 
> When I finished writing the ‘Director’s Cut’ of Champion I told myself that that was it. That was the end of the story. There’s a prequel that I started working on many years ago which I may finish and publish but I was sure that that was where the timeline ended. Of course, every time I tell myself “never ever!” I end up breaking that promise lol
> 
> I ended up wondering what kind of people the children grew up to be. Do they take everything for granted? Are they snotty teenagers? What do they call Seto? The questions piled up and then visions of scenes piled up and pretty soon I had things scribbled on paper and a Creative Project Monkey on my back pushing me to sit down and write the story.
> 
> Even all these years down the line I am still madly in love with this family that I created. More surprisingly has been how I’ve grown the family, the children have become their own characters, not just set pieces or plot devices.
> 
> I always worry that I haven’t taken enough from the original characters to make my fan fiction characters and I’m still worried about that with this…but I still love them!
> 
> Thank you for taking another trip down this particular literary rabbit hole with me and as always,
> 
> Thank you for reading!


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